A Midsummer's Night Swim
by moonshadow3
Summary: A long literary mulitpart story featuring a lovely Dawson & Joey romance


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This is a multi part story I am still writing. It takes place when Dawson and Joey are about 19 and both have been out of a relationship for a while. They are both in Capeside for a few days summer vacation and in my story, they are still friends- even though they seldom see each other- and have been friends for a while despite that they both have had other relationships. This story has nothing to do with seasons five and six.

It is an unusually warm evening in Capeside, and Dawson and Joey are just out for a walk to the lake

I started writing this story about a year and a half ago, and just finished filling in the gaps in this chapter. I hope you enjoy a little D/J romance.

-moonshadow-

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A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT'S SWIM

Part One

Sweet Mystery

Dawson looked at the water and back at Joey. Suddenly, he stood up and stripped off his shirt. "Let's go swimming" he said as he reached for the zipper on his pants. 

"Don't you dare!" Joey cried out in warning, looking away before Dawson got any further in his impromptu striptease. "C'm on Jo", Dawson cajoled, "it'll be fun. I promise not to let the evil monsters of the deep get you." 

"No thank you" Joey replied primly. "I think I'll pass, although passing up a chance to swim in cold water in the dark with who knows what creatures of the night certainly is a temptation hard to pass up. But you go right ahead."

"Come on, Jo" Dawson urged again. "Your whole life you've been coming here and not once have you taken an evening swim." 

"And for good reason!" Joey retorted, standing up and brushing off the seat of her shorts. "You know, nature, at least at night, is not something to be treated lightly. Besides, Dawson, it's more nighttime, not evening." 

"Don't be scared, Joey" Dawson said softly. "I'll be right with you and I promise the water will feel really good once you're in. We don't have to stay in long." 

Joey looked doubtfully at the water. "I thought you already experienced the joys of midnight swimming with Jen. Besides, I don't have a bathing suit." Joey concluded reasonably. Dawson was quiet a moment. "You don't need a bathing suit, Jo" he said so softly she almost didn't hear him. Joey felt the heat of a blush flush her face. She was glad it was dark so that Dawson couldn't see her blushing like a schoolgirl. She was almost more embarrassed about being embarrassed, she thought, than she was about the thought of swimming naked. But she just knew there was no way she was going to strip in front of Dawson, or anywhere near him, even if she had known him just about her whole life. And certainly not to swim. 

"Thank you for the tempting offer" Joey said lightly "but I think I'll just stay here, safe, warm… and dry."

"Take a chance, Joey. It's all right. You don't always have to do the safe thing." 

"Dawson, I think my past actions speak for themselves. I have definitely taken chances and done some pretty crazy things. Or have you forgotten?" Joey said with just a touch of irritation.

"No, I haven't forgotten" Dawson replied, walking over to her and taking her hands. "Please come swim with me, Jo. I just would really like to swim with you under the stars at least once. Please." Joey felt her resistance crumbling. They had so little opportunity to be together, and this, for some reason, clearly meant a lot to him. But she still didn't have a bathing suit. Dawson sensed her indecision. 

"We can swim in our underwear Jo. That way we'll still have dry clothes" Dawson said, reading her mind. 

"That doesn't really solve the problem Dawson " Joey said ruefully. "I'm a little lacking in the underwear department this evening." "No bra," Joey hastily added after seeing Dawson's raised eyebrows" "Darn" Dawson teased, "I thought for a second there I was with a wild woman." 

"No, no wild women here tonight" Joey said with a smile. 

"That's okay, I like the woman who is here" Dawson said a little huskily, with a warmth which made Joey feel like blushing again. He had this uncanny knack of making her feel 15 again, when it had been a long time since she had felt that way. Sometimes he could just melt her, and he didn't even know it. And sometimes he made her feel unaccountably shy, something she could not explain. 

"Well, wear your shirt in the water, and you can put your sweater on when we're done swimming." Dawson suggested helpfully. Looking at his hopeful face, Joey didn't have the heart to refuse the swim. "Okay Dawson, I'll do this for you, but you owe me. I really, _really_ don't want to do this." Dawson's happy smile made Joey smile back at him, even though she really _really_ didn't want to go into that dark water. 'The things you can do for other people to make them happy!', she thought, as she warily eyed the mysterious depths of the darkened lake. 

Dawson was already eagerly going for his pants. Joey shot him a warning look. "Pants only Dawson" she cautioned him. "Yes ma'am" Dawson said, smiling as he took his pants off and headed toward the water, leaving Joey her privacy. The moonlight softly shown on his hair and shoulders, and lightly gilded the rest of his body with muted light. Joey, watching, caught her breath a moment. He was so beautiful, she realized anew, if you could call a man beautiful. It was disconcerting. He didn't look like a movie star, or a Greek God, or any of the things typically used to describe a wonderful looking man, but to her, in a secret little place in her heart, he looked all of those things. Most importantly, he looked like her Dawson, and that was enough. But still…he had grown from a chubby little awkward boy to be a fine looking young man, with strong shoulders and laughing warm eyes and his own strong sense of quiet masculinity she couldn't help but notice. Other girls noticed too, she knew. And yes, he definitely was not a boy anymore.

Joey quickly lowered her eyes before he could catch her ogling. She quickly stepped out of her shorts, and making sure her top was well situated to cover her securely, she strode to the water, determined to get this little adventure over with as quickly as possible. She stopped dead at the water's edge, all her earlier resolve gone. It looked dark and cold and scary. Dawson, seeing her hesitate, swam over near her. "Come on in Joey, the water is great" Dawson called out encouragingly as he swam a few more feet closer to where she stood.

Legs, legs and more legs, Dawson thought as he swam nearer to Joey. She had beautiful colt-like legs; long, graceful and strong, but still dainty. A little slim maybe, but nothing a few dinners at Leary's Fresh Fish couldn't fix. He so rarely got to see her legs. She liked to wear pants, and it had been getting even more rare to even see her in shorts. He had been really pleased she had worn shorts tonight Now, seeing all her bare legs was an unexpected treat, and he wasn't quite ready yet to see them submerged in water. But he knew if she didn't get in soon, she would chicken out, and that would bother her. There were still some things about Joey that never changed. Once she got in the water, she'd be all right. "Everything is fine, Joey" he called out, reassuring her as she started to slowly walk into the water. He stifled the urge to pull her into the water and play around a bit. He knew she wouldn't appreciate any antics, so he just quietly swam near her, enjoying the sight of her.

She was such a beautiful girl, tall and dark haired, with fine features and Bambi-like brown eyes. Trim with subtle and enticing curves easy for her to hide under bulky or loose clothes. Subtle gentle curves which had kept him awake more than one or two nights in his time. But despite this gentle beauty, she still seemed unsure of herself and uncomfortable in her own skin, not always knowing how to be a pretty girl. He liked that about her too. He liked that she didn't go around thinking herself beautiful or that she was special just because she was pretty. He liked that she still thought of herself as Joey.

Watching her, he thought perhaps for the hundredth time, that he would have liked the chance to warm her up, and relax her, and see her comfortable in her own skin. He would have liked the chance to touch her skin again, and feel those sweet curves close to him, and run his hands down those long legs again like he had done when they were still 16. But he knew that chance had pretty much come and gone. At least, for this moment, for tonight, she would swim with him on this moonlit romantic night, under the stars, and he would have this moment as a special memory. Just for the moment, it would almost be like she was his girl again. And always, she was his irreplaceable friend, his one and only Joey, so he was happy.

Joey felt the cool water glide over her skin as she stepped into the lake. Silver ripples skimmed across the surface of the water as she took her first tentative steps, barely moving in the water. Moonlight shown dreamily on the surface, with shadowed movement underneath. The water felt like cool silk on her warm skin, as she gently lowered herself into the water, surprisingly delicious on this warm summer night. The trees shifted slightly in the breeze, a subtle dance of shadow and moonlit leaves shimmered and flickered in the night. The stars twinkled in the outer edges of the night sky, outside the warm and other-worldly glow of the large three-quarters moon, which hung so perfectly between the rustling branches of the graceful trees. It was beautiful. She had to admit it was beautiful, and the water did feel good as she took her first tentative strokes in the water. 

"Are you okay, Jo?" Dawson called out to her, not wanting to rush her or startle her by swimming too closely. He knew she needed a little time. Some things about Joey never changed, he thought again. "I'm fine." Joey replied, gently paddling closer to him. Their two moonlit heads were soon bobbing in the water, close to each other. "It really is beautiful, Dawson. And the water does feel good." Joey said appreciatively with real pleasure. "I know. I told you so. I knew you'd like it once you got in." Dawson replied with a satisfied smile. "Don't be smug." Joey said with humor in her voice, giving Dawson a small splash. "Wouldn't think of it" Dawson smiled back, not daring to return her splash. With a happy look on her face, Joey reached up and gracefully smoothed the hair away from her face and neck , and with a porpoise -like move, she bounced up and playfully twisted away from him. Calling "let's swim" over her shoulder, she started to swim away from him with noisy aplomb, splashing and kicking. A few birds, unsettled, flew across the night sky with chirps of alarm. Small creatures of the night rustled in the underbrush; the night calm disturbed. After a moment, Joey stopped and looked back at Dawson, and then leaned her head back and dipped below the surface of the water, cooling the ambient lingering heat of the warm summer evening. Emerging with wetted hair, she tread water in the deep center of the lake, waiting for Dawson to join her.

"There just better not be anything in here trying to nibble on my toes Dawson… or worse!" Joey challenged him when he reached her. "You promised no creepy creatures, so you better be right!" 

"As long as you keep moving Joey, the only thing nibbling on your toes will be me." Dawson reassured her with a smile and a look of something else in his eyes Joey dropped her eyes a moment, a little startled by his remark and the warm look in his eyes, a look that let her know that all was not just fun and games here tonight. A look that let her know her feminine delight in the water had not gone unnoticed. She had not expected that, but the idea was not entirely unwelcome.

There had always been more to them than just a friendship, long before they had become fully adults. Always, there had been something under the surface, something more, something special and undefined. Something transcendent which had nevertheless faltered in the face of emerging adulthood, weakened by the personal trials and tribulations of their separate existences. 

Weakened, but not gone. She could still feel it stirring within her, that feeling that he was connected to her: someone integral to her life in ways not yet known to her, in ways not yet imagined. Someone she could not help but have in her life. Yet, they had been more apart than together for these last few years now, lending an air of uncertainty to this evening, and all that she felt. Making this evening more of an unknown that she would have ever thought possible.

"Shall we swim a little?" Joey asked more to break the ensuing silence than anything else. Dawson nodded and started a slow crawl across the water. Joey followed behind him. Catching up to him, she matched his leisurely pace, and for a while they swam side by side in companionable silence, two strong bodies cutting thorough the blue-silk water, one sleek and feminine, one tapered and masculine. Turning on their sides to face each other, they side-stroked, watching each other across the rippling water. It was a moment of unintended sexuality, a moment of something more than friendship. A moment of unacknowledged synchronicity and Zen-like peace. Copacetic compatibility. Quiet chemistry. Delight. 

Warmed and tired now of this stretch of swim, Joey slowed and stood a minute on the soft and sandy lake bottom, dipping down into the water to feel the cool water swirl and cascade over her hair and face. Dawson slowed too, and tread water nearby, watching her. Seeing him watching her, Joey sunk down into the water and gently swam toward and around him, her arms and legs soundless underwater, the white of her skin flashing muted here and there under the rays of the golden silver moon

Her hair floated out in the water beside her, feathered silk. Her wet hair molding itself to her head and along the edges of her face, sleekly gleaming dark satin in the moonlight. Only her eyes were above water, dark and mysterious, slightly veiled with feminine secrets, tinted with the glint of amusement. She looked exotic as an Egyptian princess, and as simple as the girl next door. She looked beautiful. She took his breath away.

Joey felt a jumble of emotions as she quietly swum around Dawson, unsure of what would happen next. Unsure, a little nervous, but calm nevertheless. Somehow, she knew that something would happen here tonight, in this darkly quiet place, removed from their other reality, their other everyday lives. Something would change between them. She had not felt this or known this before entering the water. She did not know anything of this. But now, it seemed inevitable, unavoidable, that they would not just be leaving the water as they had entered it, as only friends, with maybes and unanswered questions. A relationship of uncertainty, of sitting on the fence, unwilling to cross the line, yet unwilling, or unable, to let go. Somehow she knew that tonight would break the impasse, and she knew suddenly, surprising herself, that it would be because of her.

Dawson paddled quietly in the water, watching Joey. It seemed like he could never tire of watching her, or being around her. He wanted to laugh and play with her, and cavort like the carefree children they once were, to see her laugh and her eyes light up with rare and unexpected delight. But even more, he wanted to stay quiet and let the night work its magic. He felt something, he didn't know what, but something in the air, in the night, in the unreadable look in Joey's eyes as she lazily swam near him, moving so gently that she barely disturbed the water around her. Almost not moving, not making a sound. Locking eyes with him, then breaking her gaze and swimming slightly away. He didn't know what this meant, but he felt a quiver of anticipation. This was new to him, and he did not know what to think. He sank lower into the water, so that only his eyes too were completely visible, the rest of his face and body swallowed up in the darkness of the water; a dance-like shadow beneath the water's surface.

Slowly, Joey moved closer to him, only her eyes remaining above the water, serious yet dancing a little with secret amusement.

What was she thinking? Dawson wondered. What did she want from him?. How could he show her he was happy she was here, yet not overwhelm her, or upset the delicate balance of their relationship. So many years ago he would not have had to think twice about it. She was just there, his friend, companion and confidant, and he had never had to wonder about her, or worry. She had fit into his life like a hand in a glove. And now she was giving him looks he could not quite discern, their meaning unclear, teasing him just a bit, he thought, wholly feminine and yet still Joey. Still in his life, but not fitting in it like she once had. Independent, yet…yet still the same Joey in so many ways. 

She felt it quick within her, the hard knowledge that they would be best apart, not grappling with the complexities and hardships of any more than a friendship. But even more she felt an emotion welling up in her which she could not deny. A warm emotion which cut through her cold knowledge like a knife through butter. She could be rational and logical and practical, and deny it. But it was the truth. She still wanted to be with him, to be in his life, to know that she was the one he wanted and not another woman, a stranger to her, untested, untrusted, not the one to be with her boy. It caught her off-guard, that she could still feel this way. This impetuous selfish 15 year old way that he belonged to her and that no other girl should be with him. That he was hers even if she did not claim him. That he was hers even if she rejected him. That he was just hers. Period. She did not like realizing this, for it seemed to belong to another girl, another Joey who had moved in a sheltered world where children were best friends who grew up to only love each other, to only have loved each other. Something she knew now was not true. Something she had found she had not wanted to be true. Something she thought still sounded too wonderful to be true.

But tonight, they were alone, together. With no agenda. With no hurts or disappointments marring the liquid peacefulness of the night. Just two young people, separate, but still intertwined with each other's lives. Friends. But more than friends. Lovers not yet in love. Lovers not yet lovers. Known to each other, yet so much still unknown. Undecided. At a crossroads. Unresolved. Incomplete. Unfinished. She realized with surprise that she wanted to be near him, to be next to him, despite the unseen unknowns swimming scarily beneath the shimmering surface. Not to over-think it, not to plan or worry or wonder, But to just be. Here. With him. On this most beautiful of nights in this haven of water. On an evening where a moonlight swim was the last thing she thought she would be doing. The last thing she had wanted to do. And yet now not wanting to be anywhere else. 

Two heads bobbed gently in the water. Two sets of eyes watched and waited, quiet and curious, serious, amused, cautious. Patient. And there, hidden in the depths of the glances, a seduction, a gentle invitation, a flirtation not expressed, a knowingness that there was more here than meets the eye. And yet, it was just a hint. Nothing that had to be. Nothing that was known for sure. Just a subtle acknowledgment that they were not just good friends on an innocent night swim. A delicate sliver of possibility. A quiver of joy. A peacefulness. A gentle anticipation.

Underneath the water, Joey's lips curled in a smile. This was too silly, she thought, playing a game like this with Dawson. It didn't make sense. She didn't have to play games with him. But the night and water skimming over her and mood around her made her feel unexpectedly romantic and sensuous and happy and she reveled in knowing that tonight she might kiss Dawson here in this lake and he did not know it yet. She liked knowing that it was up to her, after so many years of waiting for his kiss. It was not a mean feeling. It made her feel confident. It made her feel womanly. It made her happy. She could almost taste his lips upon hers, almost taste the possibility. But she was not sure yet. They had not kissed for a very long time. 

A smile, a warm and lovely smile. It melted his heart and he wanted to gather her up into his arms and keep her there forever. How did she still have this power over him, after all this time? How could she reduce him to a boy wanting his girl, when he had felt himself a man alone for so long. Why did he also feel like more a man with her than with any other? Ah, what she still did to him. This girl of quicksilver and sudden fire, of frosted ice winter and mysterious deep shadow, of lazy summer afternoons and moody teasing eyes. This woman.

He realized with a strong stab of emotion that he still wanted her…still loved her. Still missed her. Still adored her. Despite the time spent apart. Despite their conflicts. Despite everything. It tore him up. The looks she was giving him were evocative and provocative, shy and bold. It made him feel tender and protective, it made him crazy, it made him want her. Her shyness, her boldness, her fears, her wit, her intelligence, her unaffected beauty, her insecurities, her heart. Yet, there was nothing he could do about it. Because she wanted to be independent. Did not want his tenderness and protectiveness. Was perfectly fine taking care of herself. Was perfectly happy without him. He knew not to make too much of this, not get his hopes up. Not read more into it than there was. But still….the looks she was giving him were making him shake. Sweat, if you could do such a thing in the middle of a lake. And still he did not know what she was thinking.

Her eyes seemed to tease and invite him without really doing either. She intrigued him. Unsettled him and intrigued him. He took a chance. He swam closer to her, until he could see her eyes more clearly; eyes calm and expectant, amused and shy, secretive, but still broadcasting loudly some message he strained to understand, was desperate to know, but Joey remained clouded in mystery. A sweet mystery.

"What are you thinking?" he asked her quietly, but she only smiled and swam closer to him, so close that he ached to reach out and touch her and pull her close to him, pull close that sweetness and fire, those naked legs flashing pale beneath the water, and that treasured face with those liquid brown eyes. His heart.

"That's for me to know and you to find out" she replied softly, with just a touch of seduction in her voice, he could have sworn. 

Joey then stopped swimming and stood in the chest-high water, hair dripping water onto her shoulders, somber and quiet. Dawson stopped swimming too, wondering what was on her mind, what would happen next. It occurred to him that Joey was in charge here, and he just along for the ride. Whatever that ride would turn out to be.

He thought again how much he wanted to reach out to her, to touch her, and slowly he reached out and gently ran a finger down Joey's bare arm. She didn't say anything, but she didn't pull away either.

When Dawson touched her, Joey felt such a spark of electricity jump in her, she almost gasped. She knew that the night was beating strong with this unexpected chemistry between them, this connection that had lain dormant for long just under the surface of their lives. She felt the reawakening of their connection, their attraction, their chemistry- as if a switch had been thrown inside her. She knew he felt it too. But from the bemused look on his face, she knew he didn't know it yet. He didn't know yet that she felt it too. But he would. She liked being in the catbird seat. She liked letting him find out slowly that tonight they were in sync in more ways than one. She liked knowing that tonight she could make him happy somehow, some way. This sweet mystery, both known and unknown.

She swam toward him and stood up. So did he. She half walked, half paddled to where the water was a bit deeper. He followed, bemused and curious. When they were both chest high in the water, she took a deep breath, and like silk hot chocolate cream she flowed toward him and wrapped her legs around his waist and clasped both hands loosely, femininely, around his neck. His hands and arms came up, automatically, without need for thought, and caught her close around her sides and hips and lower back, to help buoy her and keep her close and keep her shoulders and head above the water where he could look at her and be close to her and know still that she was safe from an accidental dunking. The time for swimming seemed past. It seemed that it was time for something new.

A minute passed, an hour passed, a lifetime passed. He neither knew nor cared.

Their gazes caught and they looked deeply and quietly into each other's eyes for a moment, but then Joey broke the gaze and looked away, overcome for a moment with shyness or emotion or perhaps a flirtatious need to prolong the moment or slow things down or perhaps it was because she felt the beginnings of a subtle shift in control from her to him and she did not know where this little adventure would lead. Perhaps it was because their flesh was smooth on flesh, cooled by water but pulsing warm underneath, and this was an intimacy long denied and made some unfamiliar with the passage of time and the interjection of their lives apart.

Dawson knew that something was going on. He just knew it. And it wasn't platonic and it wasn't childhood and it wasn't just about water games. But it wasn't dangerous or edgy. It was calm and simple and wonderous. And he knew it was about them. 

Her eyes were reflective of emotions mysterious and new to him. Her eyes spoke to him in a language he did not know, but found he knew anyway, could translate within his mind and body untaught and unlearned. They didn't need to speak. It was in the air, whatever it was. He only hoped it was good. He took a breath and took a chance, and Joey could see it in his eyes. His nearness was profound upon her. Things feminine deeply stirred within her and she felt the excited/calm beating of her heart.

Her heart was beating so loudly, she felt sure Dawson could feel it. He put his hand up at her neck, cradling her throat, there, where her pulse was pounding and she knew that he felt it leaping under the palm of his hand. For a moment, she relaxed her neck and let her head fall back above his hand, turning her head a little into the cradle of his palm. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then Dawson leaned over and slowly and gently ran his lips down her throat , part kiss, part caress. It shocked her in its intimacy, in the feel of warm lips on cool wet skin, and yet there was nothing indecent about it, nothing a child could not have observed. He made her feel that way. Decadent with the slightest kiss. More intimate clothed with him than she had felt unclothed with another. 

Maybe there was something to this soul-mate idea, she thought wryly. Maybe there was something to being best friends; to really knowing and loving a person. Or maybe it was just that he was so gorgeous, so sexy, so warm and loving and hot, that any woman would melt in his arms. It was a strange thought, to think of him that way. Her starlight dreamer of a best friend. The one with the E.T. collection and his heart on his sleeve. Happy and hopeful and eager for new adventures. A sweet boy. A grown man now, masculine and fine. Attractive to others, desired by others. Desirable. And yet, still Dawson. Still undeniably that special unique person she had always known. And tonight, for this moment, hers.

Joey straightened herself up in his arms and smiled at Dawson. "That was nice" she said simply. Dawson smiled back at her. "Yes, it was." he agreed, tightening his arms around her a moment. Neither said anything for awhile, no words really being needed. Dawson held Joey loosely but securely in his arms, her legs still wrapped around his waist, looking into her eyes and face warmly and intently, catching little glimpses of her wet shirt first clinging and then wafting away from those subtle curves which tempted him no end. Then he was moving a little in the water still holding her, a half smile on his face- bobbing, a little dip. Moving her softly- a small rock, a tiny bounce, a gently swirl,: a playful move, a romantic dance, a hint of something more. A modest imitation/intimation of the act of love; a subtle suggestion of things left unspoken. A friendly flirtation. Innocent, yet not. 

Joey felt herself blush, unseen in the moonlit night. But still she stayed, held and gently rocked and bobbed, holding lightly onto Dawson's arms and watching his face too, his eyes and the expression on his face which told her that he didn't want to be anywhere else, didn't want to be with anyone else. That he was hers alone, and she his. And that this time was for her, for her to enjoy as she wished. That nothing was being asked or expected. That, for once, they were just being in the moment. Just being together in this intimate yet innocent way, as if nothing bad had ever happened between them. As if they were 16 again and washed clean.

She wanted to speak to him. She wanted to open her mouth and break the spell of this gentle innocent erotic romantic water dance. Break the spell of his warm eyes and half smile and lightly muscled bare chest brushing hers in passing. The feel of his body on the inside of her thighs where her legs still went around him was scandalous. The fact that their underwear kept the two of them decently apart did not change the fact that this position was undeniable intimate, and they were still half-dressed. The ramifications were undeniably felt. And yet, nothing was said, nothing was done. There was peace and pleasure amongst the chaos of her feelings. She had not felt this way before. Pampered and loved. Special and desired. Unrushed. Warm. Joey closed her eyes a moment with pleasure, seeking to capture this feeling in a memory..

"Joey, are you all right?" Dawson broke into her reveries, concern in his voice. Joey's eyes opened slowly and she smiled at him. "I'm fine" she reassured him. 

"Good" Dawson said with relief in his voice "I wasn't sure. I thought I'd lost you for a minute there." He said half jokingly, half serious. 

"It's kind of hard to lose me when you've got me wrapped around you like an old scarf, Dawson." Joey teased. .

"Hardly an old scarf, Jo" Dawson murmured, glancing appreciatively at her long legs around him and the swell of her breasts outlined underneath her wet shirt. "Dawson!" Joey scolded half-heartedly, embarrassed but pleased nonetheless. 

"I can't exactly help but notice, Joey. It isn't like you are still eleven you know." 

"I know, Dawson, believe me I know." Joey said fervently. "Things were certainly a lot simpler back then", she added a little wistfully. A moment passed in nostalgic reverie. 

"I kind of like the way things are now" Dawson said with a husky note in his voice. Joey was silent a moment. A serious expression crossed her face. "I kind of do too" she said quietly, looking at him thoughtfully. "There are certain…advantages…to being older" Dawson suggested with just a hint of humor crinkling the corners of his eyes. "True" Joey agreed, placing her arms around his neck. "Very true". Her eyes teased him. "For one thing," Dawson continued "I am not only old enough to drive over to see you, hence eliminating the need for the rowing of boats, but, as you may have noticed, I am big enough now to actually hold you up in the water, hence eliminating any chance of accidental drowning." 

Joey's eyebrows arched delicately above her deep brown eyes. "In four feet of water?" she asked sweetly, her voice silvery with amusement. 

"Seven if you count the deep spots" he replied evenly.

Joey smiled . "Well, if we were in a deep spot, you'd have to hold me over your head, and you'd be underwater, then what would you do?" As she spoke, Joey started to rub her fingers slightly along the sides of Dawson's neck. "Don't be such a party pooper Joey" Dawson said with perfect equanimity. "I'm trying to impress you" 

"Too late, I already am impressed " Joey said carelessly with a smile, running her hands around his neck and down his chest. She could feel his small gasp, and the brief tightening of his muscles under her hands. 

Dawson pretended not to notice her hands upon his chest, but she knew he knew. Suddenly, she didn't feel like teasing anymore. She leaned forward slightly, and placed her wet cheek on his chest, wrapping her arms around his back, and just stood there. Quiet in the night, his breathing filling her ears. Dawson seemed too surprised to move for a moment. But soon she felt his hand on her back, moving up underneath her wet hair, His hand lay warm on the back of her neck, intimate and sweet. "Oh, Joey" he said almost sadly, and she felt him lay his cheek against her head. She felt her heart breaking a little, breaking for the times she had broken his heart, breaking for the lost innocence of their youths. Soon, she would start crying, and this was not a night for tears.

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to be continued…

_June, 2002_

Moonshadow


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